Malibu High’s Nina Sichta leaves a lasting legacy in the pool

By McKenzie Jackson · Tue Jul 21 2026

The Sharks senior capped an outstanding swimming career while embracing the role of team captain

Before Nina Sichta dove into the pool for her senior season on the Malibu High girls swim team, the 18-year-old reached out to head coach Mike Mulligan and asked if she could be team captain. “When I’m really passionate about something — and I knew we were going to have a lot of new people on the team — I really wanted to inspire people and make sure they felt welcome,” she recalled.

Mulligan agreed, and the four-year varsity swimmer embraced the role. Sichta led Malibu — with 10 new swimmers on a 15-person roster — through warmups, team cheers, and deckside encouragement during meets. She fostered an energetic team environment and enjoyed every moment of her captaincy.

“I had an amazing team this year,” she said.

Sichta also had an amazing season.

She capped her high school career by being named to the All-Citrus Coast League first team in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly (for the third straight season) and the second team in the 100 backstroke. She was also named Team MVP for the second consecutive year and advanced to the CIF preliminaries for the third straight season — this time in the 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly, and as a member of the 4x50 freestyle and 200 medley relay teams, which captured league titles. 

Racking up the accolades, Sichta said, was meaningful.

“I’m very honored to have been part of such a wonderful team this year,” she said. “I’m glad I was able to set an example for all the new people that came in. The past couple of years, we had such a small team. It was really nice to see so many new people who were super interested and super passionate. I’m really honored to be recognized by such awesome coaches and an awesome team.”

Mulligan commended Sichta for her competitiveness, humility, and work ethic, adding that her ask to be team captain showed she was “fired up” for Malibu’s season.

“I loved that,” he added. “Whether we had five girls or more — Nina was the right choice for team captain.” 

Mulligan described Sichta as a quiet but confident leader. 

“She took many of the new swimmers under her wing and gave them advice individually,” he recalled. 

Sichta said her best performances of the season came at league finals and the CIF preliminary meets.

“It was a wonderful experience,” she recalled. “My team was cheering each other on. We had great energy. We all had such a good time.”

She dropped her time in the 100 butterfly to 1:03.71 while finishing 20th in a field of over 30 of Southern California’s top swimmers at the CIF Southern Section Division 3 Swimming & Diving Championships prelims in May.

“I remember feeling really good when swimming it,” she said. “I felt a lot of joy. It was a wonderful feeling when I saw the clock and saw all my hard work from practice pay off.”

Sichta is also pleased with the performances of herself, classmate Ceylon Zappa, junior Olivya Wild Mullarky, and sophomore Graysen Gregory in their two relay competitions at CIF. 

“I’m incredibly proud of what the girls team was able to do this season,” she said. 

The 100 butterfly is her favorite race.

“I’m very passionate about it,” Sichta added. “People think it’s very hard — and yes, it is very hard for me as well — but it’s very cool to be able to do it. I’ve always worked on it. It felt special to do that race since no one else wanted to. I love it.”

Her affection for the race is tied to her admiration for her mother, lifeguard Kim Sichta, who also swam the butterfly in high school.

“She is my greatest inspiration,” explained Nina, also a lifeguard. “She is so full of strength and resilience. I was so excited to be like her.”

Kim put Nina in the pool when she was a toddler, and the younger Sichta immediately loved the sport. She began swimming competitively with the Malibu Seawolves at age 8.

“I cried the first week because it was so different from lap swimming,” Nina laughed.

Sichta tried volleyball during her freshman year and turned down repeated invitations to play water polo, but swimming is always her joy.

“It’s not me against others,” she said. “It’s me against me, and I just do it with other people. It’s a big part of my life.”

She hopes to join a swimming club at UCLA this fall. She said she feels like a fish in the water.

“My whole body feels amazing when I get in,” she said. “It’s a sport that uses all your muscles. You just feel incredible after. I’m always seeking that euphoria that happens during and after your swim. It’s so meditative.”

Reflecting on her high school career, Sichta said she was proud of how well the Sharks came together during her captaincy.

“It was surprising and wonderful how well everyone got along this year,” she said. “Getting used to being team captain was a challenge. I was very passionate about being a leader, but it was hard to organize everyone. As the season went along, I got used to leading the swimmers, and it became more fun.”